Magus Supremacy

Immediately after Grey finished reading, the sound of rumblings filled the room as the towering gargoyle stirred awake. The vibrations echoed ominously, causing Grey's blood to run cold. He spun around in alarm, eyes widening as he saw the gargoyle pointing its massive sword directly at him.

He couldn't move. Not even an inch.

Grey stood rooted in place, his muscles frozen, his breathing shallow. His eyes darted around the room in search of an escape route. The gargoyle, known as Thalos, began to move. It lifted one colossal foot, then the next, each step resounding like the toll of doom.

And then, it was fully off the foot of the throne.

It now stood tall, descending from the elevated platform with small, calm strides. Each movement was precise, terrifying in its composure.

Grey backed away slowly, sweat forming on his brow as he kept his gaze fixed on Thalos. When his back suddenly bumped into a wall, he flinched and gulped loudly.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it," Grey muttered, eyes locked on the advancing beast. Thalos walked forward like it owned the palace, radiating an ancient arrogance.

Suddenly, it stopped about five metres from Grey. Its greatsword, once pointed downward, was lifted in one smooth motion, now aimed directly at him. A wide, unnatural smile stretched across the gargoyle's face.

The smile was so unnervingly wide that Thalos' cheeks rose to the point of touching its eyes. Every single hair on Grey's body stood on end as a chill swept over him.

'Curses. My… my body is shaking?' Grey thought, horror setting in as he noticed his sword rattling in his trembling hand. Then, his gaze fell to Thalos' feet which twitched slightly, and then...

BOOM!

A sonic explosion erupted as Thalos dashed forward from its position. In less than a blink, it was right in front of Grey, its sword swinging down with brutal speed, aimed straight for his head.

Grey barely reacted in time. He ducked and leapt away at the last second as the greatsword crashed into the wall behind him, pulverizing it into a cloud of stone and debris. The room shuddered under the sheer force of the impact.

Grey landed roughly about two metres away, gasping for breath, his heart pounding like a drumbeat in his ears. Beads of sweat cascaded down his face, his hands still trembling as he stared at the unsettling smile still plastered on Thalos' face.

'I… my saving grace was noticing it was about to move. If I… if I hadn't… my head would have been rolling on the ground. He's so fast… and too damn strong. How the hell am I supposed to fight against this?' Grey thought, a mixture of fear and frustration burning in his chest.

'Damn it.'

Grey quickly dropped his weights to the ground, the thud echoing through the room just as Thalos blinked into view again, right in front of him. Its sword sliced forward at incredible speed, the air itself letting out a sharp slicing sound.

Grey ducked low, narrowly evading the blade. He huffed and panted, pushing his body to react faster.

'No need to be a puss about this. I need to be brave,' he told himself.

He slammed his palm into the ground, spun around, and launched a powerful kick toward Thalos' face. But the gargoyle reacted with inhuman swiftness, leaping back and avoiding the attack entirely. Before Grey could recover his footing...

BOOM!

Thalos surged forward again, allowing Grey no time to regain balance. It slammed a brutal kick into Grey's side with bone-crushing force.

BANG!

CRUNCH!

BOOM!

A deafening explosion rang out as Grey's body was hurled backwards, moving so fast he broke the sound barrier.

His ribs shattered with a sickening crunch, and a mouthful of blood erupted from his lips. His vision blurred as his body crashed into a wall, denting it deeply from the impact.

More blood spilled as he slumped to the ground, coughing violently, every breath agonizing.

"Damn it, damn it all," Grey groaned through gritted teeth, struggling to lift himself. His vision spun, pain screaming from every nerve.

At the corner of his vision, he caught sight of Thalos dashing forward again. In an instant, it was upon him, its sword hurtling down toward his head.

With the last reserve of strength and all the Ki he could muster, Grey channeled his energy into his arms. His sword lit up faintly as he swung it upward, managing to block the devastating blow.

CLANG!

CRACK!

The sound of the two blades colliding was deafening. Grey's sword cracked under the pressure, thin lines spiderwebbing across its surface.

His eyes widened in horror, but before he could react, a devastating knee struck him directly in the jaw.

His head jerked back violently, a tooth flying out, followed by his entire body being flung backward into a glass display case.

Oddly enough, the case didn't break.

Grey's body slid off it and hit the floor hard, writhing in pain. He coughed uncontrollably, trying to push himself up, only to see Thalos once again raising its sword and pointing it at him with an even more unsettling grin.

Then...

SWOOSH!

BANG!

The sword was hurled at him with such terrifying speed and power that Grey barely had time to react. His eyes widened as everything slowed. In a panic, he shakily lifted his own sword to shield himself, uncertain if it would even help.

Just then, the ground beneath his feet shifted slightly, and his sword glowed with a strange light.

And then…

RUMBLE!

A huge mound of earth shot out of the sword and rose in front of Grey, forming a thick wall just in time as the great sword smashed into it, shattering the barrier instantly.

The force of the impact hurled Grey backwards once again while the sword lunged deep into the ground, embedding itself with a loud, echoing thud.

"Kuk!" Grey coughed out specks of blood as he heard the sound of footsteps heading his way, making him grip his sword tighter, his knuckles whitening from the strain.

'Damn it! I haven't even landed a single hit on the gargoyle yet. I haven't even had the chance to get close to it and already, I've suffered immense damage in just a few minutes. Curse it all! Will I die here?!' Grey thought, pushing himself up while grinding his teeth in frustration.

"No! It's… it's not time for me to start thinking like this. I… I won't die. I will get out of here alive and then take my revenge on those damned trio for putting me in this position!" Grey roared with defiance as he dashed forward, running as fast as his battered feet could carry him.

The gargoyle's smile only widened as it strode forward and yanked its sword out of the ground just in time to meet Grey's swing.

Grey swung his sword with all the speed and might he could muster, aiming to carve the creature in two, but with an effortless upward slash, the gargoyle's blade slammed into Grey's.

And just like fragile glass, Grey's sword shattered and fell to the ground, leaving him defenseless.

A solid kick smashed into Grey's gut, sending him flying backwards with terrifying speed and force. Blood sprayed violently from his mouth as he was launched through the air.

He bounced across the cold, cracked ground for a few seconds before skidding to a halt. His vision grew slightly blurry. His right arm throbbed with unbearable pain, already mangled beyond healing.

A new crack split across his shoulder, and the limb would have been dangling freely if not for the makeshift sling of torn cloth keeping it in place.

Click, click, click!

The sound of the gargoyle's stone boots echoed against the marble floor, causing Grey to slowly lift his head. He watched as it walked forward, its sword scraping against the ground with an ominous screech.

When it stood about two metres away, it lifted its sword and suddenly drove it into the ground again, slicing through the marble and lodging it deep before staring coldly at Grey. It then stepped forward… without its weapon.

"Oh?!" Grey groaned as he struggled to rise, glaring at the approaching gargoyle, his body riddled with injuries and his face stained with blood.

"You want to suddenly play fair?"

Thalos didn't respond. It only smiled wider, its eerie expression never faltering. Then with a deafening bang, it blitzed forward, vanishing and reappearing right in front of Grey in an instant.

Its fists, now surrounded by thick stony knuckles, swung forward, shattering the air with a loud crack as it aimed for him.

"Shit!" Grey croaked, quickly bringing his one good arm up. Ki flared violently from his hand as he tried to block the punch—but that proved to be his greatest mistake.

The moment the gargoyle's fist collided with his arm, a sickening snap rang out. Grey's hand bent backward at an unnatural angle, slamming into his own torso with brutal force and lifting him off the ground. He was hurled across the room like a ragdoll, crashing into the far wall and denting it with the impact.

"Curse it! Da—" His words were cut short. Thalos was already there.

The gargoyle appeared directly in front of him again, grabbing a handful of Grey's hair and yanking his head up, forcing him to look into its glowing golden eyes.

Throughout the fight, Thalos never once dropped that disturbing smile. It raised its fist and slammed it straight into Grey's gut, releasing its grip on his hair at the same time.

The force sent Grey flying once more, blood spraying violently from his lips as his eyes nearly rolled back. His broken body crashed into the throne and slumped down to its base, unmoving.

This time, Grey couldn't stand.

His body was battered beyond recognition, far past anything Ki could heal. Blood soaked his entire frame, still trickling down his face.

His mangled arm had finally torn off after colliding with the throne and now lay lifeless on the floor, detached and discarded like a broken tool.

Click, Click, Click!

The sound of the gargoyle's boots echoed again, drawing closer. Grey barely managed to lift his head, his breath ragged and shallow, his eyes fluttering in and out of consciousness.

Then, Thalos stopped.

It tilted its head, staring at Grey's broken body with an eerie curiosity. Despite being on the brink of death, Grey could still be seen twitching his will trying to lift his body, to rise once more. But he was far too weak. His limbs refused to obey.

Thalos simply shook its head.

Then it raised one arm high.

The sword embedded several metres away rattled suddenly, then shot through the air with terrifying speed, landing cleanly in the gargoyle's hand with a sharp ring.

The creature pointed the blade at Grey's neck. Grey's eyes widened, shrinking and dilating at once.

"All… all… all I ever wanted was a peaceful life. I wanted strength. Wanted power… just enough to protect myself when I'm vulnerable." Grey began speaking, his voice raw and low, his one good arm clenched tightly as the blade hovered inches from his throat.

The gargoyle didn't move, its weapon still aimed, waiting.

"I thought if I became strong enough, I would have been able to protect Yami and his family so I could thank them for helping me. I thought this world and the faction would be kind to me.

I thought that since Yami and his family were nice to me, others would be too. But who was I kidding? I got kicked off a damned cliff by a kid who thinks I want to snatch his brother from him! How is that fair?! How is life fair?!" Grey shouted, tears streaming down his face as he glared straight into Thalos' eyes.

"I lost my memories, any sense of identity, any sense of power. I tried to recreate new memories with my new families here, and I got attacked by people who think I'm a terrorist. Tell me, how is this all fair?! Did I ask for all these?!

Did I want all of this?! Not only did I fall off a cliff and nearly get murdered, I broke my arm, and I wasn't even given a chance to rest before I got pulled here and forced into this battle. How is any of this fair?! I also want a life!

I want to live, I don't want to die! I want to remember who I am, I want to stay with my family, I want to be strong enough! I just want to be left alone and be strong enough to protect myself and my family.

Is that too much to ask?!" Grey roared in anger as tears gushed down his face. The gargoyle simply lifted its sword high above its head, still staring at Grey, but without its usual unsettling smile.

"I need power too! I need strength! I want to defeat my foes! I need allies too! Arghhhh! Power! I want to crumble down my foes and protect myself! Everybody is so damn strong, where's my own power?!" Grey shouted in frustration as the gargoyle swung its sword down, aiming directly for Grey's neck.

Seeing the sword descend, Grey snapped his eyes shut in fear, tears still gushing down his face.

'Pl… please, give me power, give me strength!' he cried out inwardly.

And then, all at once, the hall fell completely silent. A hush befell the place, heavy and unnatural, like the world itself had paused.

CRACKLE!

BOOM!

The sudden sound of crackling energy burst through the stillness, causing Grey's eyes to snap open. He gasped as he saw Thalos staggering back, his eyes widening in shock.

Before the towering gargoyle could even lift his sword again, a deafening boom rang out as a dozen lightning arrows, glowing with blinding intensity, came hurtling toward him.

The air vibrated with power as they smashed straight into Thalos, slamming into his massive body and hurling him backwards with explosive force.

The ground trembled beneath the impact, dust and shards of stone flying as the gargoyle crashed violently into the floor.